Cherry Stems
by aang'sbestbuddy
Summary: "Oh come on Katara, it's just a simple question." I silently noted to myself that I would have to kill Toph later for this


**_Hey out there! OK so i've seen these types of stories everywhere and i just couldn't resist writing one of my own... I wrote this story about 10 months ago so i'm not quite satisfied with the flow of the story but other than that, i kinda like it and i hope you guys do too!_**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender in any way or form._**

**_Enjoy!_**

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"Gah! It is SO hot!" Toph exclaimed rather dramatically. "It's bad enough that we decided to meet up in the middle of summer in the Fire Nation, but Zuko and Twinkle Toes Firebending over there isn't helping!"

"Well Toph," I cut in before her temper caused her to do something we would regret later. "Aang just wants to keep his skills in check. Plus, he says that he wants to master every element, besides Airbending, the right way; with much time, practice and discipline."

The only answer I received from her was a harsh glare and a tight folding of arms across her chest. I glanced over at the courtyard where Zuko and Aang were going over some drill sequences.

"Well, I don't care where we are and what we're doing I'm just so glad that I get to see you guys again!" Suki squealed. I got up from my chair to give her a nice long hug for what seemed like the eighth time that day.

"I know, Suki, six months is a very long time. I'm so happy to see you all again." I said as I took my seat. I looked around at the entire courtyard for the first time since I got here. Not only did the courtyard get cleaned up, but the entire beach house seemed to be in better shape since the last time I was here.

"Wow Mai, this place looks great!" I said enthusiastically. She gave me a very rare and small smile.

"Well we had this place fixed up after the palace was finished, and it turned out better than we expected. Zuko and I really love this place, despite the memories." She answered a little dully. I nodded to myself as I kept looking around. It was truly different from the way I remembered it, but then again the last time I was here I really didn't pay much attention to the architecture of the beach house.

I glanced up in time to see a servant approach us.

"Excuse me ladies, here are some drinks and a light snack to help deal with the heat." He said while placing water glasses in front of each of us and a rather large bowl in the center of the table.

"Cherries!" Suki said excitedly while reaching into the bowl to grab one. We all grabbed some and ate in a comfortable silence until Toph had to ruin the moment.

"So Sweetness… how's Aang?" She said with a wide smirk while toying with her cherry stem before throwing it to the ground and grabbing another. I could tell by her actions and tone that her little question had a double meaning, but I decided to play it innocent.

"He's fine Toph." I answered simply. She sat up a little bit more in her chair and scooted forward.

"Stop playing dumb Sugar Queen. We all know that once you left the South Pole and went to travel with Aang, you two have been all alone in the Western Air Temple for an entire month." She stopped to pop a cherry into her mouth. "We all know that Aang doesn't play by the monks' rules anymore. So I'm going to say this one more time: how _is _Aang?" She leaned back in her chair while everyone's stares landed on me. I blushed from the sudden attention but quickly composed myself.

"Toph, I really don't feel comfortable discussing this right now." She sent another glare my way and even though she couldn't see it anyway, I stubbornly glared back. Despite my intentions though, it only lasted a few seconds before I dropped my gaze and awkwardly reached for another cherry. As I chewed, my mind was racing with possible subject changes but before I could even open my mouth Suki had beat me to it.

"Come on Katara, it's just a simple question." She paused as her gazed shifted from me to Aang. "Actually, I'm a little curious too." She admitted with a sheepish grin. I stared at her in utter disbelief while she merely shrugged.

I stole a glance at Mai and was shocked to see that she seemed to be a little interested as well.

I silently noted that I would have to kill Toph later for this.

With an inward groan I murmured, "Well, uh, you know… he's um, pretty… good…" They all eyed me suspiciously but didn't say a word as all of them chewed thoughtfully.

Suddenly out of nowhere, Mai began to chuckle!

All three of our heads whirled around to gawk at her. Once she realized that none of us understood what was so funny, she stopped to explain.

"It's so obvious," she drawled with a bored sigh. "You haven't kissed him, have you?" She smirked as I blushed and pathetically tried to avoid the question.

"What? We've kissed before. That's ridiculous." It wasn't a total lie; we have kissed, just not the way they were suggesting.

None of them bought my pathetic attempt at evading the subject and started to openly laugh. I crossed my arms stubbornly. "What's so funny?" I asked, not the least bit amused.

"You two have been dating for over two years and you haven't _kissed_ him yet?" Toph half shouted. At this they began to laugh even harder and in return my blush and embarrassment increased tenfold.

"Wow Katara I didn't think that was even possible to wait that long!" Suki said between giggles. I waited for them to calm down until they had only small smiles. I gave another deep sigh and tried to explain.

"I know this sounds a bit strange, but we haven't kissed like…_that_. He spends most of his time either training, in war meetings or cleaning up the Air Temples. So when he gets some free time he likes to relax or goof off. He still is a kid after all." I paused and chewed on my lip. "I don't want to pressure him into things." Judging by their unsatisfied looks, I knew that my answer was one that they didn't want to hear. "I'm just as curious as you guys are." I mumbled in defeat.

Before any of them could respond we heard Zuko's voice boom through the awkward silence. "You're doing great Aang. You can go ahead and take a small break if you want." I turned to see Aang bow and walk towards our table.

"This'll be fun." I heard Toph murmur darkly. I snapped my head back in her direction but before I could say anything Aang was already pulling up a chair from the other table and placing it next to me.

"Hey guys." He said cheerfully as he sat down. After everyone said their greetings, silence filled the air. In the corner of my eye I saw Toph smirk before she spoke.

"So Twinkle Toes…" I shot her a warning glare only to realize that she wouldn't see it. I bit my lip instead. "Have you ever tied a cherry stem before?"

"Uh…no. Why would I?" He asked with an eyebrow raised and his lips turned downwards in pure confusion.

My day just keeps getting better and better.

I bit my lip harder waiting for Toph to explain. She opened her mouth but thankfully Suki interrupted.

"Just for fun." She covered up quickly. She reached into the bowl and grabbed a cherry. "We should all try it." She stated excitedly. I watched as Aang shrugged and took two out of the bowl and gave one to me. Once everyone took a cherry Suki explained the concept to Aang.

"Alright so the point is to tie the cherry stem in a knot in your mouth without using your hands. Whoever ties the stem first wins. Got it?" Aang nodded his head and ate the cherry.

"On your mark, get set… GO!" We simultaneously popped our stems into our mouths and got to work. All of our faces were contorted and twisted into the strangest position as our tongues struggled to tie the stem.

Only about fifteen seconds passed before we heard Zuko's voice echo loudly throughout the courtyard. "Alright Aang, break time's over! Get over here!" Immediately, Aang stood up and pushed his chair in. Then, he reached up to his mouth and took out the stem and set it on the table.

"Sorry guys gotta go." I watched him as he jogged out to meet Zuko in the courtyard. When I turned back all of their mouths were open in shock and disbelief as they stared at the spot where Aang dropped his stem. I looked down to see a cherry stem with a perfectly tight knot, dead center. If I didn't know any better I would have accused him of cheating by using his hands.

"I don't believe it." Toph mumbled while shaking her head in disbelief. Suki and Mai nodded in agreement.

"Well, I guess now we know." Suki said after she composed herself. We all turned to look at the mock hand-to-hand fight between Aang and Zuko. Aang glanced in our direction and caught our stares. He let his stance down as he smiled his signature goofy grin and started to wave when he suddenly received a hard blow to the stomach. He landed with a thud at least five feet away from his original position.

"Focus!" Zuko scolded while helping him up.

"That kid is always full of surprises." Toph said as she cracked her knuckles.

"I certainly wouldn't have guessed." Mai stated as she shook her head. I giggled along with everyone else.

"You and me both Mai, you and me both…"

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**_So there you have it. Just a lil pointless oneshot there.  
you can obviously calculate what thier ages are but if you need to know why they were separated for six months, then you can make something up :)  
Anyway, there you have it.  
You all know the drill: REVIEW PLZ!  
Thanks for your time! _**


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